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The rosh at Al-Dubai Restaurant is Quetta's love letter to foodies

The rosh at Al-Dubai Restaurant is Quetta's love letter to foodies

The simply seasoned, tender meat dish is served with a side of moong dal and piping-hot naan from the tandoor.
20 May, 2022

The long, winding Quetta Highway, leading to the outskirts of Quetta city, is scattered with shops selling all kinds of wares. They are set against a backdrop of stark, barren and somewhat ominous-looking mountains, stripped of greenery.

This is the setting for the Al-Dubai Restaurant and Garden, specialising in the traditional delicacy called rosh, a rustic-looking dish typical to Baloch culture.

Having travelled to Quetta off and on for the last 30 years or so, I have witnessed the city transform from a sleepy old town to today’s busy urban hub with messy traffic jams. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the hospitable attitude of its people and their warm, welcoming nature.

The fact that it’s considered quite rude in Quetta to blow car horns, no matter how messy or chaotic the traffic, further adds to the charm of this city and its people. The people of Quetta take quite a bit of pride in this fact, although I can’t imagine how long the tradition will last, given the swelling volume of traffic inside the city and the narrow, winding roads.

When it comes to the local delicacy called ‘rosh’, Al-Dubai Restaurant and Garden on Quetta Highway has achieved perfection. Don’t let anybody tell you or convince you otherwise

Back to Al-Dubai, the restaurant is a no-nonsense set-up given the burgeoning volume of its patrons. At the time I visited it for lunch, it was packed to the rafters with more customers continuously flowing in.

Although the very fancy Black Diamond — a favourite haunt of weekenders with its extensive menu — has sprung up nearby, Al-Dubai prides itself for selling the best rosh in town, with the meat literally falling off the bone.

Prep for the dish starts with the slaughtering of a goat and then large chunks of leg meat are chopped off and cooked till they are tender and moist. They are served with a side of moong dal and piping-hot naan from the tandoor.

Slightly on the oily side, rosh has minimal seasoning with just salt and the taste of the dish lies in its tenderness and earthy taste. To chase it down, a jugful of freshly prepared salty lassi [buttermilk] is served with raita [seasoned yoghurt] and green salad.

Feeling somewhat adventurous, the photographer and I decided to order another main course called joint, which was exactly that — joints cooked to tender perfection and served with French fries. But rosh remains the hero at Al-Dubai.

Afterwards, our party ordered green tea or qehwa, served with locally available Irani candy to give it a sweet kick. The leftovers, of which there were many, were duly neatly packed and given to us to be enjoyed in our hotel room later.

I also ended up buying a few boxes of freshly baked and wonderful-tasting walnut cake, which is made by a local bakery and stacked at Al-Dubai for sale.

As I left the brightly coloured, oil-painted interior of Al-Dubai Restaurant and Garden, I asked around why it was called so. I half expected a reply that the owner had come back from Dubai and opened it up from the earnings he had made and managed to save in the Gulf country. After all, the sign board also has an image of the iconic Burj Al Arab featured quite prominently.

Alas, no such backstory could be confirmed by the sources available. However, the only backstory that did get confirmation was that the restaurant owner, Abdul Nasir Kasi, had started Al-Dubai with very humble beginnings in 2010-11 and, back then, it was visited mostly by heavy vehicle drivers during lunch hours. This truck stop story made sense, as the restaurant lay on the busy Quetta Highway, plied by commercial vehicles.

From these modest beginnings, Al-Dubai’s fame spread by word of mouth — everyone knows that the best roadside restaurants are the ones that get the most trucker traffic. As the patrons grew, so did the establishment, into what it is today.


Originally published in Dawn, EOS, May 15th, 2022

Comments

Zulfiqar May 20, 2022 12:07pm
In Pakistan only men get to enjoy these hidden gems. Unfortunately these places are not safe for the other 51% of the population. Just saying.
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Naveed May 20, 2022 12:46pm
Do try the same at shah wali restaurant in suraj ganj bazar
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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad May 20, 2022 02:03pm
Great and wonderful article by the author. Well done, keep it up and hang on tough.
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Fareed May 20, 2022 03:12pm
Baloch and Pakhtuns are very Territorials they enjoy whole Pakistan but no go for sindh and Punjab people if they want to visit balochistan or KP. This trend should change.
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Reality check May 20, 2022 03:25pm
@Zulfiqar Pakistan is a lot safer for women than any Western country. According to statistics, 100s of women are raped every weekend nightout, especially under the influence of alcohol. We protect our women over our lives.
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M. Saeed May 20, 2022 04:38pm
Eating mutton preparations has become out of reach for over 90% of Pakistanis.
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Constantine May 20, 2022 04:57pm
That looks unappetizing.
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Zeeshan May 20, 2022 05:18pm
@Zulfiqar I was thinking exactly the same thing
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Syed Hasni May 20, 2022 05:25pm
Great idea next time, Lets party at my house bring food then leave
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Sidc May 20, 2022 07:15pm
@Fareed True . In these regions in name of pride they can make there own rules
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Ash May 20, 2022 07:19pm
Very basic, looks extremely unhealthy.
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Ahmad May 20, 2022 07:20pm
Never eat these foods, not properly well cleaned and cooked, home cooked foods always good and cost savings.
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well-wisher May 20, 2022 08:00pm
Author, please think about non-residents of Balochistan. We too deserve to taste this ROSH. Please share the recipe and make us happy. Great discovery.
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Munir May 20, 2022 08:43pm
@Zulfiqar That is your assumption, I believe.
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Omar May 20, 2022 10:14pm
@Zulfiqar unless the 51% gets up and says enough is enough……
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Zulfiqar May 20, 2022 11:25pm
@Reality check So not being safe doesn’t have mean rape. It means a general environment where women will not feel safe. They will feel unsafe to sit and eat there for fear of harassment. We are not debating the moral decay of western society. Just the inadequacy of our own society.
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Zulfiqar May 20, 2022 11:27pm
@Omar it’s actually the 49% who should stand up and say enough is enough
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Zulfiqar May 20, 2022 11:28pm
@Munir seriously? Ask any women around you whether what I wrote is correct or not
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Syed May 20, 2022 11:36pm
@Zulfiqar Bullseye
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Nadeem Shah May 22, 2022 04:27am
Pheeka Afghani food... No thanks
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Nadeem Shah May 22, 2022 04:28am
@Fareed they are racists....I know, my family is Pashtun and I am ashamed of them when they talk racist ... Just like Afghani, they are the worst in hating others.
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Amir Hussain May 22, 2022 12:13pm
There is equal opportunity for the other gender always prevails i.e for other 51 percent Do visit alone or with your family , I found it equally good with extremely experienced and friendly staff/waiters attached at family place at Dubai Even ladies can come alone being the safest and most friendly place of the town A good article indeed
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Amir Hussain May 22, 2022 12:16pm
Sir zulfiqar You are just saying but I have been dinning here since long with family and friends I have found it otherwise that was mentioned in my previous comments
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